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CLASS: LIS 60608 The Public Library
PROJECT: Library Leadership Interview
MLIS PLO(s):
PLO3 – Analyze and engage in the changing cultural, educational, and social roles and responsibilities of librarians/information professionals and the environments they work in within the global society.
PLO5 – which states, “Identify needs and connect individuals and communities with information that engages and empowers them.”
ALA Core Competencies (ALACCs):
ALA Core Competencies (ALACCs):
This paper aligns with three out of ALA’s nine Core Competencies – specifically the first (i.e., “Gateway Knowledge”); the fourth (i.e., "Management and Administration”); and the eighth (i.e., “Social Justice”). [Details of each competency are listed below.]
A person graduating from an ALA-accredited Master's Program in Library and Information Science should be familiar with and be able to apply, when applicable, the following ALACCs:
Competency #1: “Gateway Knowledge”
1A. Employ the ethics, values, and foundational principles of the library profession.
1B. Promote democratic principles and intellectual freedom (including freedom of expression, thought, and conscience).
1C. Consider the history of libraries and librarianship and their role within the context of society.
1D. Recognize the history, preservation, and dissemination of information in all its forms, and its impact on libraries.
1E. Identify current types of libraries (school, public, academic, special, etc.) and closely related information agencies, such as museums, archives, and galleries.
1F. Identify social, public, information, economic, and cultural policies and trends of significance to the library and information profession on the local, regional, national, and international levels.
1G. Understand the legal framework in which libraries operate, including laws relating to copyright and fair use, privacy, freedom of expression, equal rights (e.g., the Americans with Disabilities Act), open access, and intellectual property.
1H. Effectively advocate for libraries, librarians, other library workers, patrons, and services, especially in terms of marketing, fundraising, and outreach.
1I. Use techniques to identify, codify, and analyze complex problems and create appropriate and collaborative solutions within library environments.
1J. Demonstrate effective verbal and written communication techniques, including electronically via video, live chat, and email.
1K. Hold current certification, degree, and/or licensure requirements of specialized areas of the library profession.
Competency #4: "Management and Administration”
4A. Apply the principles of responsible fiduciary planning and oversight.
4B. Apply the principles of effective and just supervisory practices and human resource management, training, and development.
4C. Implement the concepts behind, and methods for, assessment and evaluation of library services and their outcomes.
4D. Develop and support diverse and equitable partnerships, collaborations, networks, and other structures with all stakeholders, consortia, and within communities served.
4E. Employ the concepts behind, issues relating to, and methods of principled, transformational, and change management leadership, in addition to other leadership philosophies.
4F. Effectively plan, manage, implement, and close projects using the concepts of leadership methods. 4G. Participate in strategic communication with colleagues throughout the organization and the community.
4G. Participate in strategic communication with colleagues throughout the organization and the community.
Competency #8: “Social Justice”
8A. Understand one's own cultural identity including positionality related to power, privilege, and oppression and how that influences the ways they interact with the community and among decision makers.
8B. Recognize, challenge, and change practices, services, and programs that have traditionally replicated dominant systems and marginalized others.
8C. Contribute to an organizational climate that encourages, supports, assesses, and rewards work that promotes social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
8D. Incorporate social justice and inclusion into professional practice through outreach and partnership with diverse groups and communities in order to expand inclusive collections (purchasing, classification, and description), staff, programs, and services.
8E. Equitably distribute library staff, collections, and facility resources among all user communities.
8F. Seek ongoing professional development to raise awareness and develop strategies to address issues of power, privilege, and oppression.
References
American Library Association. (2022). Core competencies. http://www.ala.org/educationcareers/careers/corecomp/corecompetences
ANNOTATION: This project was the final assignment for the LIS 60608 The Public Library course. During this course, students did a case study of a specific public library. At the end of the course, students interviewed a leader from their chosen public library and wrote a paper about the future of that library. My case study was the Dayton Metro Library. Thus, I interviewed Holly Richards, the Dayton Metro Library’s Technical Services Director (then the Collection Development Director), and learned how the Dayton Metro Library is focused on creating a more diverse collection so that more of the community feels seen in both the Dayton Metro Library’s collection and programs.
This project aligned with both the MLIS PLO(s) and ALACC(s) stated above since this project interviewed a public library leader and I learned the ever-evolving needs of the Dayton community's patrons.
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